Manufacture of sheet-glass.



No. 742,898. PATENTBD NOV. 3, 1903. W. A. PAGE 8: F. L. .0. WADSWORTH. MANUFACTURE OF SHEET GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1902.

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- No. 742,898. PATENTED NOV. a, 1903.

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MANUFACTURE OF SHEET GLASS APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1902.

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, PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903. w. A. PAGE & F. L. 0. WADSWORTH.

MANUFACTURE 01:" SHEET GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1902.,

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ivo. 742,898.

UNITED STATES Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM A. PAGE, OF OAKPARK, ILLINOIS, AND FRANK L. O. WADSWORTH, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO PRESSED PRISM PLATE GLASS COMPANY, OF MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MANUFACTURE OF SHEET-GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,898, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed May 10, 1902. Serial No. 106,733. (No specimens.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. PAGE, of Oakpark, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and FRANK L. O. WADSWORTH, of

Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Sheet-Glass, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description,reference bero ing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing one form of apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same, partly broken away. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively partial cross-section and a partial longitudinal section, on a larger scale. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic sectional views showing modifications, and Figs.

7 and 8 are cross-sections on the lines VII VII and VIII VIII of Fig. 5.

Our invention relates to the making of sheet-glass by rolling and is designed to provide an improved method of and apparatus for rolling sheet-glass, whether plain or figured, on one or both sides.

In the drawings, referring to the form of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, 2 represents a supporting-frame, which we have shown as mounted on wheels 3. The side members 4 4 of the frame are provided with tracks or slideways in which slide the shoes 5 at the sides of the moving table 6. This table is hollow and is provided in its top with a series of small per- 3 5 forations leading downwardly into the cavity 7. A vacuum-pump is connected to the interior of the table by means of a pipe 8, having a three-way cock 9 and leading to a pair of stationary branch pipes 10, which project 4o through the end of the table and through a rectangular cross-head 11, which fits within the cavity 7 and is provided with suitable packings 12. The glass-forming rollers 13 and 14 are mounted on shafts 15 and 16.

45 The shaft 16 of roller 14 is carried in fixed bearings 17 17, attached to the frame of the machine. The larger roller 13 is hollow and rotates on its shaft 15, which is also hollow and is connected atone end with a pipe 18,

having jointed connection with an exhaustpipe 19, also leading to the vacuum-pump. Within this cylinder the shaft is surrounded by sleeve 20, having radial partitions 21, forming a vacuum chamber 22, the partitions bearing against the inner surface of the rollers and having longitudinal packings 23 and end circumferential packings 23. The roll is provided with small perforations 24, which lead to its interior, and the sleeve and shaft to which it is attached are prevented from rotating by the connection at the ends with links 25 25, pivoted to the side members of the frame. Holes 26 extend through the hollow shaft and the sleeve within the cylinder and lead into the vacuum-chamber between the partitions. Attached to one end of the larger roller is a toothed wheel 27, which intermeshes with a toothed wheel 28, carried on a stub-shaft29, mounted in a pivotal link 30, having loose engagement with a pin 30,

. projecting from the frameof the machine, as

shown in Fig. 4. This link is pivoted on the axle of the roller and may be adjusted by moving the slot over the pin andthen clamping it by any desirable form of clamping means. operating-crank 31, and its wheel 28 intermeshes in turn with a-toothed wheel 32 on a stub-shaft 33, mounted on the frame. The stub-shaft 33 is provided with a second toothed wheel 34, intermeshing with a rack 35, secured to the side of the table. Another toothed wheel 34, similar to the wheel 34, is mounted on a stub-shaft in the frame at the other side and intermeshes with a similar rack 35'. The axes of the wheels 34 34 are in line, and the wheels themselves interniesh with pinions 37 37 upon a shaft carrying aroller 38,arranged to hold the glass against the large roller. Another roller 39 is used for this same purpose, which roller is'driven bya pinion 40 at one end intermeshing with wheel 34. Wheel 34 also intermeshes with a wheel 41, keyed to the shaft of the roller 14. The pitch diameters of the wheels 27, 32, 34, 37, 40, and 41 are such that when the driving-wheel 28 of the system is turned the rollers 13 14 38 39 and the table 6 move together at the same periph- This stub-shaft is provided with an acting through the perforations.

eral speed. The relative distance between the surface of the roller 13 and the rollers 14 38 39 may be adjusted by means of the swinging links 25 25 and the adjustable link 30. A hopper 42 is provided above the rollers to receive the glass, the ends of the hopper forming cheek-pieces which bear against the ends of the rollers 13, 14, 38, and 39 and also receive and support the shafts above referred to. In carrying out our invention with this apparatus the plastic glass is fed into the hopper between the two main rollers, and as the crank 31 is actuated the glass is rolled down wardly into sheet form. At the same time the valves leading from the chambers 22 and 7 are opened and the air rapidly exhausted therefrom by means of the vacuum-pump. As the sheet is fed down it is held to the surface of the large roller by the pressing-rollers 38 and 39 and also by the suction Within the segmental chamber of the larger roller When the glass sheet reaches the table, it passes beyond the suction-chamber of the roller and is pressed by the roller upon the top of the table, which is moving forward at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the rollers. If the smaller forming-roller is figured, the table is correspondingly figured and so adjnsted in position that as the figured face of the sheet is pressed down upon the table it fits thereon as the table moves forward. The glass is held down upon the table by the suction within the chamber in front of the crosshead. The sheet, therefore, is formed by rolling it between the rollers and holding it in contact with one of them until partially set, and it is then transferred to a table which has the same contour as one of the rollers.

The sheet is then held in contact with the table until it is set in final form.

Various modifications of the mechanical arrangements whereby the two latter steps of the operation are carried out may be employed. Thus in Fig. 5 we show a form of the invention wherein the receiving-table, which is moved as in a previous form, is set at an inclination to the horizontal, the forming-rollers 13 and 14! being changed accordingly. In this case gravity will assistin holding the glass to the larger roller, and one of the small rollers 39 may be dispensed with. An additional roller 44: is added behind the main roller 13 to assist in holding the glass sheet down upon the table 6 after its transfer to the table. In this case we have shown the smaller roller as having circumferential grooves a a, Fig. 7, to form longitudinal recesses and projections on the sheet. The table is correspondingly provided with the longitudinal grooves, as shown in the sectional view, Fig. 8, a a, as is also the small holdingroller 38".

In the form of Fig. 6 we show the table as horizontal, the forming-roller 13"as provided with longitudinal corrugations on its surface,

tern or figure is formed on the upper surface of the glass, and to hold this in shape after it leaves the roller until finally set we provide a feedway 45, inclined downwardly toward the roller and supporting aset of shapers 16, having their under faces shaped to fit the figure given to the upper surface of the glass. The side edges of these shapers are beveled or inclined, so that as one of them passes beneath the flange 47 of the feedway the next will slide'into place. The vacuum may be used in this form, as in the previous form, to hold the glass against the roller.

The advantages of our invention result from the forming of both sides of the sheet by rollers, the preservation of the formed surface by retaining it in contact with one of the forming-rollers until it has partially set, and the final transfer and pressing of the formed sheet upon a traveling table. The glass is held upon the table until finally set, so that there is no liability of its changing its form oncontour. Sheets of glass having bright and polished surfaces on both sides and with either plain or figured contour of sharp and accurate outline can thus be produced.

Many variations may be made in the form and arrangements of the apparatus without departing from our invention.

We claim 7 1. The process of making glass sheets,which consists in depositing a mass of glass between two rollers, rolling the same into sheet form by feeding it between the rollers, and at once applying a positive pressure to hold the sheet in contact with the surface of one of said rollers while the sheet is acquiring a set, and then transferring the sheet to a table having the same cross-sectional contour as one of the rollers; substantially as described.

2. The process of making glass sheets which consists in depositing a mass of glass between two rollers, rolling the same into sheet form by feeding it between said rollers and at once applying a positive pressure to hold the sheet in contact with the surface of one of its rollers through a portion of its revolution, while the sheet is acquiring a set, and then transferring the sheet to a table whose surface moves to correspond with the surface of one of the shaping-rollers; substantially as described.

3. The process of making sheet-glass, which consists in depositing a mass of glass between two rollers, feeding it between said rollers to roll it into sheet form, and at once applying a positive pressure to hold the sheet in contact with the surface of one of the rollers while the sheet is acquiring a set, and then transferring the sheet to and holdingit down upon a flat table which travels to receive and carry away the sheet from the rollers; substantially as described.

4. The process of making sheet-glass, which consists in first forming the sheet by passing and the roller 14 as plain. In this case a patit between two suitable rollers, applying a positive pressure to hold it in contact with one of said rollers until the surfaces have set suificiently to avoid change and then transferring it to and pressing it upon a table whose surface corresponds with that of the forming-rollers; substantially as described.

5. The method of making sheet-glass figured on one side, consisting in depositing a mass of glass between two rollers, feedingit between said rollers to form the sheet and impart the configuration from one roller, at once applying a positive pressure to hold the sheet in contact with the surface of one of the rollers while it is acquiring a set and then transferring the sheet to a traveling table; substantially as described.

6. The method of forming figured glass sheets, consisting in passing the glass between rollers, at least one of which is figured, ap-. plying a positive pressure to hold the sheet WILLIAM A. PAGE. F. L. O. WADSWORTH.

Witnesses:

GEO. B. BLEMING, L. M. REDMAN. 

